Village to shortly shut down power next week for plant test

The Village of Greenport will be temporarily shutting down its electric system for about an hour or two early next Friday, Feb. 26, in order to perform a state-required test, according to Village Administrator Paul Pallas.

As part of the test — technically called a Demonstrated Maximum Net Capability (DMNC) test — the village needs to transfer the power load from transformer two to transformer one, and cannot do so without shutting down the system, he said at Thursday’s Village Trustee meeting.

The shutdown will occur sometime around 3 a.m., he said, and the entire test should take between one and two hours, according to Mr. Pallas.

It will be done in stages so that the entire village will never be out of power at any one time, and each circuit should only be out for less than an hour, according to Mr. Pallas.

The village will be sending out notices in advance. Trustee Doug Roberts said it’s important that people who require electricity for medical devices, such as an oxygen tank, be notified.

Village officials say a design flaw in a $5.8 million upgrade of its power plant has prevented it from being able to switch from one transformer to another without first shutting down the system.